Carbon Studio, the developers behind Crimen – Mercenary Tales, The Wizards, and Warhammer Age of Sigmar: Tempestfall, released a new narrative-driven VR game that’s packed with logic puzzles and what the studio calls “a bizarre story taking place at the very core of your subconscious.”
Called Mindset, the Quest 2 exclusive makes good use of Quest 2’s hand-tracking tech, letting players tackle the game’s complex cubic puzzles either with Touch controllers or with their bare hands. Here, you’ll test your intelligence, dexterity, and deduction skills on an array of cubic puzzles.
Here’s how Carbon Studio describes the head-scratching action:
Each cube has one or more starting gears that spin around from the very beginning of each level. To complete the level, you have to set the last gear in motion. You can achieve this by grabbing other gears from a pool of available parts and slotting them into place. To make things a bit trickier, gears can only be placed on special pins—some of which are dependent on the state of other pins, often placed on the other side of the cube. If you take one out, another may hide and ruin your plan. But with the right sequence, this combination may change. You’ll also be dealing with gravity pins, pins sliding on special rails, and more to keep you on your toes.
Across the game’s three-chapter narrative, you’ll step into the shoes of a brilliant scientist named Jack who must fight to regain consciousness in the game’s otherworldly waking dream. To return to the world of the living, you must delve deep into your subconscious, navigate moral dilemmas, and uncover just what happened to you in the first place.
No matter which virtual reality (VR) platform a developer chooses to support first, if they haven’t already picked Meta Quest 2 then it’s highly likely a port will come at some point. Carbon Studio has proven that this week by announcing that PC VR title Warhammer Age of Sigmar: Tempestfall will be making the leap onto the standalone headset next week.
Carbon Studio has been hard at work fitting a big action-adventure videogame like Warhammer Age of Sigmar: Tempestfall onto the Meta Quest 2. With the PC VR version having been “further refined and improved” the Quest 2 edition has been “enriched with an improved combat system and several quality-of-life changes.”
These range from easier spell-casting and “clearer signalling of the attack direction by opponents” to additional upgrade stations to enhance weapons, and an improved hit recognition system.
The team hasn’t just enhanced the gameplay experience. The Quest 2 edition will come with all of the PC VR versions extras like the new Hardcore Mode plus one extra bonus – The Storm Trials Mode. Similar to a horde mode by the sound of it, you’ll have to fight through ever more challenging arena levels, upgrading your character and weapons along the way.
Hopefully, these improvements stack up to a more rounded experience, as gmw3 said in its review: “Warhammer Age of Sigmar: Tempestfall offered the prospect for the sort of adventure Games Workshop’s brutal universe is renowned for, and the history and narrative is certainly there. Yet there’s no connection to or development of the main character, the action is mostly forgettable and there are just too many little glitches and inconsistencies to create a world Warhammer fans can really immerse themselves in.”
Warhammer Age of Sigmar: Tempestfall will arrive for Meta Quest 2 on 19th May 2022 priced at $24.99 USD. For further updates on the latest Carbon Studio titles, keep reading gmw3.
Carbon Studio’s Warhammer Age of Sigmar: Tempestfall looked set to offer a big glorious virtual reality (VR) adventure ahead of its launch last month but didn’t quite live up to expectations. The developer has been quick to respond to player feedback with a series of patches to hone the gameplay. Today’s patch is a big one, not only adding more quality-of-life improvement but also a new Hardcore Mode.
If you’ve already completed the campaign in Warhammer Age of Sigmar: Tempestfall and want something tougher the new Hardcore Mode should, hopefully, offer the kind of challenge any Stormcast Eternal would relish. If heading back into the campaign doesn’t exactly fill you with excitement, maybe the addition of all the bug fixes and improvements may pique your interest?
Carbon Studio has been hard at work patching Warhammer Age of Sigmar: Tempestfall with a smaller 1.16 patch earlier this month adding a few refinements. v1.2 will offer a much wider raft of enhancements to the gameplay, addressing critical performance bugs, improving motion-based tracking, combat polishing, audio refinement, as well as other elements.
Players should find that physical spell casting is easier to execute, chests are easier to open, and the inventory system has been improved. Carbon Studio hasn’t just been working on gameplay elements either: “The team has also added a selection of lighting and visual detail fixes as well as improvements to multiple environments throughout the game. In addition, a wide variety of bug fixes and combat improvements have been added,” a press release explains.
Combining both physical melee combat and devastating magical abilities, Warhammer Age of Sigmar: Tempestfall put you in the role of Lord-Arcanum Castor Stormscryer commanded by the god-like Sigma to vanquish a plague of Nighthaunt forces that have arisen. However, whilst the VR experience had some great elements the overall delivery wasn’t quite there with VRFocus saying in its review: “Warhammer Age of Sigma: Tempestfall offered the prospect for the sort of adventure Games Workshop’s brutal universe is renowned for, and the history and narrative is certainly there. Yet there’s no connection to or development of the main character, the action is mostly forgettable and there are just too many little glitches and inconsistencies to create a world Warhammer fans can really immerse themselves in.”
With this run of patches Warhammer Age of Sigma: Tempestfall might become the no-holds-barred Warhammer experience everyone hoped it would be. For further updates keep reading VRFocus.
Games Workshop’s Warhammer franchise has rooted itself in every entertainment medium and virtual reality (VR) gaming is no different. It’s a universe that fits well in VR, where you become a god-like warrior defeating hordes of horrifying enemies. While Warhammer 40,000: Battle Sister took you to the more modern equivalent of Games Workshop’s war-filleduniverse, Carbon Studio’s Warhammer Age of Sigma: Tempestfall takes place in an era without all that technology, where knights fought ghastly ghouls to ensure the protection of mankind. Which all sounds awesome doesn’t it? Yet the final delivery just doesn’t quite live up to the potential.
Ever since Warhammer Age of Sigma: Tempestfall was revealed in October 2020, each drop of information bathed the experience in deep, rich lore that you just couldn’t wait to be part of. All of that lore is there if you wish to delve into the menu and extract it, which is why it’s such a shame that all the surface level stuff – i.e. the main storyline itself – lacks delivery and a real sense that you’re embodying this epic Stormcast Eternal warrior come to vanquish the plague of Nighthaunt forces.
So some context. As the name implies the videogame is set within Warhammer’s Age of Sigma universe, where a devastating Necroquake wakes up all these horrible forces who go on to attack the mortal realms. As Lord-Arcanum Castor Stormscryer, an all-round badass and leader of the Stormcast Eternals you have to cleanse the world using your superhuman skills, some rather brutal melee weapons and a suitable amount of magical abilities.
Starting in a city ravaged by Nighthaunt forces, Warhammer Age of Sigma: Tempestfall is mostly a linear adventure that takes around 7-8 hours if you don’t get lost or delve into all the side missions. Lost you may be wondering? Carbon Studios has created an intricate city where the narrative will simply move you forward as intended but with a bit of exploration, you’ll find plenty of hidden secrets including Sigmarite and ancient scrolls (vital for upgrades) and doors unlock that provide handy shortcuts later on. Alas, these are useful but other gameplay elements hamper that usefulness, more on that later.
Warhammer Age of Sigma: Tempestfall is in no way subtle about its gameplay style, you’re a massive warrior who smashes through everything to get the job done. In your inventory are three weapons ranging from the really close combat sword to the long staff. These can be dual-wielded so you can mix and match depending on your preferred strategy and the magical abilities of each weapon. They all have three castable spells, performed by holding the trigger and either lunging forward, swiping horizontally, or lifting the weapon skyward He-Man style. Fairly simple yet they’re all effective in different circumstances and are suitably fun to unleash.
However, even though combat is the core of Warhammer Age of Sigma: Tempestfall, it also becomes one of the titles weakest facets. To begin with, smashing Deathrattle Skeletons apart – you can just rip them apart with your hands – or unleashing magical bolts of lightning at Nighthaunts is a blast until it becomes clear that the collision detection isn’t that great. There were numerous times when slashing at an enemy produced no result, and the same goes for the magic casting. It was erratic enough that it took a lot of the joy out of battles, especially when surrounded.
And you’ll get surrounded a fair bit as the enemy AI is set on grunt default of charging straight at you. You’d kind of expect it from the skeletons but you’d hope for a bit more from the Nighthaunt that float menacingly around. Fights then become a real close quarter hack ‘n’ slash affair instead of intense sword fights. Elements such as being able to block and parry are there, alas they fail to properly solidify the battles as they’re not easy to read when toe to toe with multiple enemies. And when waving both weapons around does just as good a job why bother?
On the subject of opponents, there’s also a lack of variety, Deathrattle Skeletons and Nighthaunt come in several flavours but you have to wait until the latter half of the campaign that some new enemies actually appear, at which point you’ll miss the ghostly foes. Running the Steam version of Warhammer Age of Sigma: Tempestfall at full resolution the enemies are incredibly well designed and intricately detailed, they do look the part, but after continually fighting so many the repetition quickly sinks in.
That’s made all the worse by the spawning layout. Basic enemies like the skeletons appear in packs during the city level, making for nice natural fights as you turn a corner and suddenly spot a group. It’s when you come across a wide-open area that you know Nighthaunts will appear and quite often you’ll be locked in an arena battle, over and over again. You’ll feel that inevitable sigh building as you walk into another grand area to fight the same enemies. Remember that mention of opening up handy shortcuts, they’re all well and good but the spawns happen in the same spots so wandering back over an area looking for secrets will trigger them again.
It must be said Carbon Studio has done well with the level layouts, they twist and wrap around one another to simulate multiple paths and there are plenty of sneaky hidden areas to find. This is vital if you want to upgrade that equipment of yours. Weapons can have their base stats improved followed by each magical spell, so there’s plenty of reason to hunt down elusive chests. As you might have guessed by now there is a but, a big but. There’s no easy way to access your main base to incrementally add these upgrades unless you want to keep walking through the city fighting the same opponents again and again. There really needed to be more anvil placements or a quick return feature.
If that wasn’t enough Warhammer Age of Sigma: Tempestfall has some annoying mechanics that hampered the general gameplay. It was little things like picking up a Spirit Flask or using the Gravesand Hourglass. Weapons instantly appear in hand when pressing grip so you can get right into a fight, that’s perfectly fine. Pick up an empty Spirit Flask – used as a grenade when full – and it automatically equips, the Hourglass is two-handed but with the same effect. Thus, every time either of these items are used you have to reequip your weapons again. After several hours of this, you’ll understand the annoyance.
Warhammer Age of Sigma: Tempestfall offered the prospect for the sort of adventure Games Workshop’s brutal universe is renowned for, and the history and narrative is certainly there. Yet there’s no connection to or development of the main character, the action is mostly forgettable and there are just too many little glitches and inconsistencies to create a world Warhammer fans can really immerse themselves in. Warhammer Age of Sigma: Tempestfall isn’t a bad VR game, there were enjoyable moments and with a bit of refinement it could be a decent game; at the moment being a Stormcast Eternal just isn’t a blockbuster experience.
Carbon Studio was hoping to launch Warhammer Age of Sigmar: Tempestfall on PC VR and Quest sometime this summer, and it appears we at least have a release date for the PC VR version of the fantasy-action game: November 17th.
The upcoming Warhammer universe game was delayed back in August, something the studio said at the time was to improve combat, progression, and rewards.
In it, players wield magic and the series iconic melee weapons to battle the forces of Nighthaunt, a ghostly undead foe. Much of its combat system appears to build off the studio’s Wizards series, which makes use of motion-based spellcasting—something that was pretty well refined in its latest cross-platform title The Wizards – Dark Times (2020).
Although Tempestfall is slated to land on Steam, Viveport and Oculus PC Store on November 17th, the studio hasn’t made any mention of when the native Quest version of the game is due, stating in a tweet that “today we are focused on the PC VR [version]”
We will soon share information about the Oculus Quest version :) today we are focused on the PC VR
— Warhammer Age of Sigmar: Tempestfall (@TempestfallGame) October 28, 2021
The level of detail we’ve seen in previous trailers suggests the game will be heavy on particle effects, complex melee, dynamic lighting, destructible environments—all of it looks to push the boundaries of Quest 2’s humble Snapdragon XR2 chipset.
A special VR Showcase from Meta (formerly Facebook) is supposed to take place at some point early next year, so we may see it pitched there. We’ll be looking at Carbon Studio’s social channels in the meantime for any news of the Quest version.
Warhammer Age of Sigmar: Tempestfall is an upcoming VR action game from Carbon Studio. The game was original set for a Summer release date on PC VR and Quest, but the studio has announced a delayed release date, now set for sometime in Q4. Carbon Studio says it’s using the time to improve combat, progression, and rewards, and it will run a second closed beta for feedback before launch.
Warhammer: Tempestfall is shaping up to look like a fun fantasy action game with melee combat and spellcasting at its core. Earlier this Summer developer Carbon Studio revealed a short gameplay trailer which shows the game’s dark vibe:
The decision to delay the game may have been related to feedback from the game’s closed beta which ran earlier this year. Here’s how the studio puts it:
As you know, we are currently at a very advanced stage of the development of Warhammer Age of Sigmar: Tempestfall. All of the zones, enemies, quests, items, spells and major mechanics are ticking like a Swiss watch, but… although the game is about 99% done, we concluded that we could still make it even better.
We’ve decided to implement a handful of quality of life changes and reconsider certain elements of the combat system, especially blocking. Our main goal is to make fighting Nighthaunt forces as fun as possible, whether preferring stationary or mobile playstyle. We hope you will enjoy our new weapon contact-based blocking system!
Among other unlisted improvements, players can also expect a deeper character progression system, with additional rewards for exploration.
Regarding blocking, Carbon Studio shared a glimpse of the new system, which uses quick FX to clue players into where they should block. In some ways it looks like a more subtle version of the blocking system that works to well in Until You Fall.
To gather more feedback on the latest changes to the game, Carbon Studio has announced that it will run a second closed beta; players interested in testing the game can head to the official Carbon Studio Discord for more details on joining the second beta.
Summer is coming to a close and so is the time frame for all those big virtual reality (VR) releases. Carbon Studio’s Warhammer Age of Sigmar: Tempestfall was due to arrive soon but just like Lone Echo IIand After the Fall, has now been pushed back towards the end of the year.
The delay is due to the closed beta that was held during June/July, where players selected got to see the first stages of the videogame. “The group of players who tried out Tempestfall during the Closed Beta gave us a lot of very cool ideas and useful suggestions. We are aware that the VR gaming landscape is constantly evolving and improving, which is why we want to take a bit of extra time to ensure Tempestfall meets the expectations of both casual and hardcore VR gamers,” said Carbon Studio’s Co-Founder Aleksander Caban in a statement.
Due to the feedback from players Carbon Studio will be enhancing various aspects of the gameplay in Warhammer Age of Sigmar: Tempestfall. This includes the physical blocking system for weapons, being improved to suit both stationary and mobile combat styles.
The developer has also confirmed that: “players can also expect a deeper character progression system, with additional rewards for exploration.” So hopefully Warhammer Age of Sigmar: Tempestfall should be worth that extra wait. Additionally, if you didn’t get a chance to participate in the first closed beta Carbon Studio will be holding a second in September. Signups are open now until 14th September over on Discord, the beta will last for two weeks.
Warhammer Age of Sigmar: Tempestfall is gearing up to be an epic adventure in the Warhammer universe, set during the Age of Sigmar if you didn’t realise. You take on the role of the mighty Lord-Arcanum, tasked with defeating the Nighthaunt forces which are rising up all across the mortal realms. Leading a retinue of Stormcast Eternals, you wield devastating melee weapons, abilities and powerful magic.
As part of a slew of virtual reality (VR) videogame announcements last week Carbon Studio unveiled the first gameplay trailer for its upcoming title Warhammer Age of Sigmar: Tempestfall. As part of the announcement, the studio opened sign-ups for a closed beta with the final day to apply to be today. However, there was so much interest that Carbon Studio has extended the sign-up window.
Over on its Discord channel, the developer notes that the first testing batch was easily filled so anyone signing up from today will fill the second quota of testers – at least 25 will be selected, possibly up to 50. Applying is fairly simple, just sign-up to the newsletter on the official Warhammer Age of Sigmar: Tempestfall website and then fill in your details on this form. You’ve now got until 18th June to sign up and you’ll need a VR capable PC, of course.
The beta has also been extended due to more content being included. Carbon Studio confirmed: “We’ve recently added a few bonus features to the game that influence the core gameplay experience, and we need a few extra days to prepare everything for your arrival.” Once the beta launches it’ll run for a couple of weeks giving participants plenty of time to experience the early part of the campaign and the core mechanics.
Beta testers will get their hands on some of that exciting melee and magic action showcased in the trailer, battling dreaded Nighthaunts and more as they deliver Stormcast Eternal justice.
Being a Warhammer title there’s a heavy amount of narrative and lore to enrich the experience with the synopsis explaining: “Set in the Age of Sigmar universe, Tempestfall’s campaign begins following the devastating event noted in history as the Necroquake in the Realm of Death, also called Shyish. This massive explosion of dark magic has triggered the Nighthaunt forces to rise up all across the Mortal Realms. In response a retinue of Stormcast Eternals, the embodiment of Sigmar’s wrath made manifest, gifted with superhuman speed, strength and endurance has been specially assembled. The quest to lead this retinue and investigate this new threat to the Mortal Realms, and the dangerous task of a hands-on investigation in Shyish, falls to you, Lord-Arcanum Castor Stormscryer.”
Warhammer Age of Sigmar: Tempestfall is slated for release on PC VR headset and Oculus Quest this summer. Take a look at the exciting gameplay trailer below and for further updates, keep reading VRFocus.
After its initial reveal back in October 2020, developer Carbon Studio has stayed fairly quiet on the progress of Warhammer Age of Sigmar: Tempestfall. If you’ve been eager to hear more, this week the studio has released a new cinematic trailer, some very brief gameplay footage and narrowed down the launch window.
The first trailer was very short and non-descript so this new cinematic one gives a better feel for the Warhammer universe Carbon Studio is creating. There are some nasty looking wraith-like enemies and there’s a proper look at the character you’ll be embodying, a Stormcast Eternal.
“Set in the Age of Sigmar universe, Tempestfall’s campaign begins following the devastating event known as the Necroquake in the Realm of Death, known as Shyish,” explains the synopsis. “This massive explosion of dark magic has triggered the Nighthaunt forces to rise up all across the Mortal Realms. In response a retinue of Stormcast Eternals, the embodiment of Sigmar’s wrath made manifest, and gifted with superhuman speed, strength and endurance has been especially assembled. The quest to lead this retinue and investigate this new threat to the Mortal Realms, and the dangerous task of a hands-on investigation in Shyish, falls to you, Lord-Arcanum Castor Stormscryer.”
As for the gameplay, well you can see that in the gif below, showcasing some hand-to-hand combat as well as the use of a magic attack. It looks like Warhammer Age of Sigmar: Tempestfall will offer plenty of physical gameplay, with blocking indicators popping up to aid you in fights. Cabon Studio will be employing its VR knowledge from The Wizards so there will also be a gesture-based spell casting system.
With cities, catacombs, swamps and prisons to traverse as you explore the world of Tempestfall, you’ll need to be on the lookout for pieces of living metal called Sigmarite as well as forgotten technology schematics. These will aid your journey, upgrading your weapons’ combat abilities to help give you an advantage.
Warhammer Age of Sigmar: Tempestfall is now scheduled to launch this summer for Oculus Quest and PC VR headsets. Check out the trailer below and for further updates, keep reading VRFocus.
After a short teaser trailer towards the end of last year, we now have a full new cinematic trailer for Warhammer Age of Sigmar: Tempestfall.
Warhammer Age of Sigmar: Tempestfall is an upcoming VR game for PC VR and Oculus Quest, set in one of the newer eras of the Warhammer series and with a strong focus on magic and the supernatural. You play as Lord-Arcanum, a magic-wielding warrior and part of a taskforce known as the Stormcast Eternals. You’ll have to battle the ghostly Nighthaunt in the realm of Shyish using first-person combat and a gesture-based weapons system.
The developers, Carbon Studio, announced the game back in October 2020. Previously, the studio worked on spell-casting VR series The Wizards, including most recently The Wizards: Dark Times. While we got a short teaser for Tempestfall back in October, you can check out the brand new cinematic trailer embedded below. It gives you a bit better a grasp of the universe this one is set in.
It’s a good time for Warhammer fans with VR headsets, as Tempestfall is not the only Warhammer VR game on the market. At the end of last year, Warhammer 40K: Battle Sister released for PC VR and Oculus Quest. While it’s not the most inventive of VR shooters, Jamie described it as a game that does enough to please fans of the 40K franchise, but otherwise is a shooter that offers “mostly clean, mostly forgettable fun.”
Warhammer Age of Sigmar: Tempestfall is scheduled to release in the Summer for both PC VR and Oculus Quest headsets. Carbon says that the next look at the title will be a gameplay reveal, so keep an eye out for that in the next few months.
Are you interested in Warhammer Age of Sigmar: Tempestfall? Let us know in the comments.
